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Jaquinn Ramone Bell, 32, was convicted of three felony
vehicular manslaughter counts, one felony fatal hit-and-run
charge, a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license, and
received a sentencing enhancement for leaving the scene, the
Orange County District Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Twin sisters Lexia and Lexandra Perez and their friend Andrea
Gonzales, all 13, were wearing costumes and carrying bags of
candy as they crossed a street in Santa Ana, some 40 miles (65
km) southeast of Los Angeles, when they were struck by the SUV
last Halloween evening.
Prosecutors said Bell was driving at more than 60 mph (95 kph)
at the time of the collision. The speed limit for the area was
45 mph (70 kph).
Bell did not stop to help the dying girls, prosecutors said. All
three were pronounced dead at the scene, triggering an
outpouring of grief in working class Santa Ana and across
Southern California.
Authorities say Bell abandoned the vehicle, which had a damaged
front end from the accident, near the scene and fled on foot.
Bell was arrested in November at a Motel 6 in Stanton,
California, not far from where the girls were hit on a
crosswalk.
His mother and half-sister were also initially arrested but
later released when they were cleared of involvement in the
collision.
Bell faces a maximum of 13 years and eight months in state
prison and is set to be sentenced on May 21, the statement said.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco; Editing by Paul
Tait)
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